The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-10-28
A MYSTERIOUS FORCE.


The FORCE ExERTED.
The collar-button fell. There Is |
nothing mysterious in this statement, |
far by reason Of the force Of gravita-
ton excrted upon il, It could not do
otherwise than fall when unsupported.
But neither Sir Isaac Newton nor any
Of The scientists Of the present day
have discovered or classed that mys-
terious force which causes collar
button. when 1t reaches the floor. to
roll away and secrcte itself in some
.out-oi-the-way spot, utterly defying
human skill to penetrate its hiding
place. So, when the collar-button fell
from Clare Beverly's hand and disap-
peared-but we are getting way ahead
Of our story, and rs tho correct way to
tell story is to begin at the "Once-
upon-a-time" point. we will begin
there
Once upon time in one Of the
''shires" Of old England lived Sir
Arthur Stanford. Possessed Of unlim-
tied estate and fortune. he was consc-
quen;ly possessed Of an unlimited
amount Of family pride. And by rca-
son ofthe aforesaid family pride. when
his eldest son Arthur contracted n
marriage beneath his station. Sir
Arthur was induced 10 cut him of
from the patcrnal inheritance with the
provcrbial shilling. So young Arthur
turned his back upon his ancestors do
mains. and with his personal effects
under one arm and his young wife
under the other. set his face in the d.
rection in which the Star Of Empire"
il said to take its way.
Ten years later we might have seen
him settled with his wife and daughter
upon the banks Of the Hudson. not far
from the great American metropolis.
He had grown with the country until
his possessions rivalcd those Of his
fathers. In the midst Of his estates he
had erected massive. rambling
structure known as The Hail. and
modelled somewhat after the patcrnal
homestead.
Ten years later, we might have seen
him widower, and his daughter. a
beautiful girl just blossoming into
womanhood.
His possessions were larger and bis
fortune greater.
Ten years more and we might have
seen sullen old man with gray
streaked hair, who lived all alone in
the great hall Tho daughter Ind dis
appeared, none knew where.
Some said she had returned Il
England, and others who claimed 4
know more said she had run ava,
with poor, struggling paragraph
writer. employed on one Of the New
York Dailies. Be Il as II may, the oil
man never opened his lips in regars
to her, never spoke her name.
When in the course Of time he wa
gathered TO his fathers, and the vii
opened and read, II was found that n
had left his entire estate to a nephew
named Clare Beverly. His daughter
name was not mentioned. and the Cos
sips, who claimed to know the most
shook their heads wisely and wills
pered, family pridcv
For five years the old hall rcmainc'
.enan'less, save for the presence Q
tne family house-kceper, and the
word was received to open up the hous
T. .ne new proprietor was about {
visit his estates.
Clare Beverly was . man Of abou
.n'r'y' strong, straight and handsome
WIN honest blue eyes. and adecp-tonc
voice that could Ut times command tn
lender accents q woman. Sma1
wonder then that, possessing rs he al
; ;nese qualifications, together with tn
S"ro''ant addition Of a magnificcu
'o.'une' he was received into the mos
se,ee' circles Of the Knickerbockc
aristocracy.
q tne time Of the story we con
r"ccd % tell in 80 hcadlong a mar
.s' ne had been located at tho Ha
ABOUT i've months.
4, that particular point In the stor
= which the title plays an importar
rast Clare was dressing for an ever
~ party, given 1t the homo Of Mr.
~, ~ hlrke. MIRA Van Kirko was
ae'blood" whose family dated BAG
2 ne Colonial dayS and a. was !,
r .r ~ one Of her favored circl
MI. c Gan always count on mcetin
Van Kirkc'a" $500 PeSP' m NM